The Grand Duchy of Muscovy (Russian:Velikoye Knyazhestvo Moskovskoye) is a large nation in Eastern Europe. The Grand Duchy is ruled by the Gediminid Crown of Eastern Europe, which also rules over the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Muscovy is the most recent addition to the Gediminid Crown, being recently taken by King Wladyslaw II of Poland in 1402 in the Lithuanian War for Muscovy.

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History

Pre-1400

Although the state of Muscovy started as a tiny village in the larger Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, a series of strategic leaders who could collaborate with the Golden Horde brought the city to great prominence. The first Grand Duke, Daniel, who was a son of the revered Alexander Nevsky, started the expansion, which was to continue under his son (Yury) and his grandson (Ivan).

The Muscovite state was delegated by the Horde as the collector of the tributes of the other Russian states, which gave it significant power over its chief rival of Tver, which was conquered by Muscovy in 1327.

Later cultural devlopments occurred to make Muscovy even more significant, including construction of the Kremlin and the relocation of the Patriarchate of Kiev to Moskva. The father of Wladyslaw II (Algirdas) clashed with Muscovy three times, from 1368-1372. Afterwards, Muscovy took an attitude of contempt for the Horde, which was continued under Ivan's son Vasily.

1400-1500

As Vasily began his own attempt to grow the Grand Duchy, the Lithuanian and Polish forces, spearheaded by Viceroy Vytautas, declared war upon Muscovy in 1401. By 1402, all of Muscovy's vassals (Pskov and Ustyug) had been captured and Moskva itself fell, with the final surrender of the Kremlin in the early winter.

After Muscovy could be incorporated with Poland and Lithuania, King Wladyslaw declared the Gedimind Crown of Eastern Europe to rule over Muscovy.

During the rule with Poland and Lithuania, constant rebellions occured, resulting in the independence of the Grand Duchy. A coalition was soon made to combat Poland, which led to the union's collapse, resulting in a free much larger Muscovy.

Economy

Compared to the economies of Poland and Lithuania, the Muscovite economy is extremely faint. The agricultural methods, which rely heavily on serf labor, are considered to be very backwards. Nonetheless, barley and rye, as well as other grains are grown in the Muscovite lands. Most of the produced goods are used for subsistence, with whatever is left over being sent to Kiev normally.

Other industries of the economy of Muscovy include fur trapping, which is decently advanced, and cattle raising. The methods of cattle grazing are also considered to be really poor, which is only made worse by the poor climate.

Recent economic development and research, as well as the acquirement of new territories allowed the nation to exponentially grow in agriculture and the production of metals.

Military

The Muscovite military, while being extremely weak in European affairs, is considered to be one of the most advanced militaries of Russia. While the Grand Duke is typically the leader, the recent union with Poland has created an issue.

As a result, the most capable military leader, the former Aide-de-Camp to Vasily, serves as general of the Muscovite forces, which can field up to 30,000 men.

Of these 30,000 potential troops, about 20,000 are infantry, with 9,500 archers and 500 members of the cavalry. The Russian cavalry tends to borrow largely from the tactics of the Western Europeans and the Hordes of the East.

With military growth after the war with Poland, the military remains at around 80,000.